What Pennsylvania city is home to the mural capital of the world?

(WTAJ) — Pennsylvania, while known for many things such as cheesesteaks and the worlds biggest smorgasbord, is also home to the mural capital of the world.

Philadelphia, affectionately known as Philly, is home to more than 4,000 murals and has become known as the “Mural Capital of the World.” The city was also considered to be the first capital of the United States, with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution being written there.

In 1984, Philly established an anti-graffiti program that was designed to be a city-wide effort to combat vandalism and support urban creativity. The mayor at the time, Wilson Goode, appointed artist Jane Golden as a way to engage Philadelphia’s youth through community art.

As a result of the program, the Mural Arts of Philadelphia Organization was born. The organization works to engage the community in 50-100 public art projects each year while also maintaining and restoring the existing projects.

In 2007, 23 years after the arts project was established, the Prince of Wales, Charles, and the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, visited Philadelphia to see the murals scattered throughout the city. Nine years earlier, in 1998, the Peace Wall was created amidst rising tensions in the area and served as a catalyst for residents to discover shared values.

In 2014, Mural Arts of Philadelphia celebrated its 30 year anniversary by hosting an exhibition to showcase three decades of collaborative public art creation. The exhibition, Beyond the Paint: Philadelphia’s Mural Arts, was the first major museum exhibition to present the evolution of the organization’s community-engaged art.

Most recently, the organization launched its 2024 project titled We Here. Mural Arts, in partnership with Kensington native artist Roberto Lugo, launched the project as a way to infuse Kensington with creativity and resilience. This initiative looks to connect art accessibility and youth engagement through community workshop pottery making.